Just a thought:

Fellow Kossians,

Let's all take a minute to use this convenient and simple form to send an email to your senators asking for a filibuster against the Bankruptcy Bill that is currently before the Senate.  The bill is set to be voted upon TOMORROW.  This bill is a vicious attack against those Americans who do not have the good fortune of being loaded (*financially).

(Read the LA Times article about the Bankruptcy Bill HERE, and the Rude Pundits appropriate rant on the subject HERE)

If there were ever a reason to swith parties, this is it:

Of those involved in a committed relationship, who is very satisfied with their relationship?
             Republicans -- 87 percent; Democrats -- 76 percent

 Who is very satisfied with their sex life?
             Republicans -- 56 percent; Democrats -- 47 percent

 The poll analysis also reveals who has worn something sexy to enhance their sex life:
 Republicans -- 72 percent; Democrats -- 62 percent

 When asked whether they had ever faked an orgasm, more Democrats (33 percent) than Republicans (26 percent) said they had.

  Among the factors that impact the survey results is that more men identify themselves as Republicans and men are more likely to say they are sexually satisfied and enjoy sex "a great deal." Also, Democrats are more likely to be women; and the poll results show that women are more likely to fake orgasms.

                 The American Sex Lives 2004 survey was conducted by telephone August 2-9, 2004, among a random, anonymous, national sample of adults 18-99 years old. The results have a 2.5-point error margin for all respondents; as in any poll, sampling error is higher for subgroups.

APparently, there is a pretty big email campaign to fire Dan Rather being pushed by various nut-winged bloggers(and here), (and here).  

 

While I do think that CBS screwed up with the handling of the memo's I don't think that Rather should be forced to resign  And not to mention the fact that all of this wingnut email to local news affiliates is not a good thing.

Apparently, the plane crashes in Russia are now thought to be the result of an an act of terrorism.  The top intelligence agency, FSB is now saying that they have detected traces of explosives.  Could this have any effects on our own presidential race, do you suppose?

Practically every American news outlet has been flipping out over prices in oil trading.  Everywhere you turn someone's spouting off about "record levels".

Oil prices touched record levels Thursday as an escalating battle in Iraq, approaching storms in a U.S. production region and continued uncertainty about Russian exporter Yukos led to more speculative buying.  

At around noon ET, U.S. light crude for September delivery rose 58 cents to $45.38 on the New York Mercantile Exchange after setting an all-time record of $45.50 a barrel minutes before. The price stands well above the record high for New York crude futures of $45.04 struck Tuesday.

Anyhow, I was sitting around watching Headline News with my dad when one of the pundits started in on the party line, and my Dad said it was total bullshit.  He said that oil prices were WAY higher than they are now during the Iran/Iraq war.

I was skeptical, but I figured it couldn't hurt to Google it.  Wouldn't you know it, he's right

supposedly, THK told a reporter from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review to "shove it" after he misquoted her.  

This seems perfectly appropriate to me, (maybe not so much by a candidates wife, on record...) however i'm afraid that it's just the type of thing the RNC will latch onto and run with.  I'm wondering what else will come up that will allow republicans to distract attention from the convention, and give the media a reason to minimize  coverage.  

the tin foil hurts my molars when i chew it.

Wow.  Did Anyone else see this?  What an idiot our president is.

 At yesterday's news conference, Bush was also asked to respond to Ron Reagan's eulogy of his father on Saturday.

"Q He said that politicians should not wear religious faith on their sleeve. And a lot of Republicans interpreted those remarks as being critical of you and your position on stem cell. I'd like to ask you about that.

"PRESIDENT BUSH: Whether or not a politician should wear their -- I've always said I think it's very important for someone not to try to take the speck out of somebody else's eye when they may have a log in their own. In other words, I'm very mindful about saying, you know, oh, vote for me, I'm more religious than my neighbor. And I think it's -- I think it's perfectly -- I think it's important for people of religion to serve. I think it is very important for people who are serving to make sure there is a separation of church and state."

I seriously question this man's sobriety.  

Time magazine has apparently outed the location of VP Cheney's secret bunker (site R), where he spent a good part of 2001-2002.  Site R is just beyond the Maryland Pennsylvania border (on the Penn. side) and is underneath Raven Rock Mountain.  Here are some satellite images, and some regular photographs.  Not that this is very important, but I'll help to spoil a Cheney secret any day of the week.

Wow.  This administration really IS serious about terrorism.  Namely by encouraging it in what seems like any way possible.

Nabil al-Marabh, once imprisoned as the No. 27 man on the FBI 's list of must-capture terror suspects, is free again. He's free despite telling a Jordanian informant he planned to die a martyr by driving a gasoline truck into a New York City tunnel, turning it sideways, opening its fuel valves and having an al-Qaida operative shoot a flare to ignite a massive explosion.  

Free despite telling the FBI he had trained on rifles and rocket propelled grenades at militant camps in Afghanistan and after admitting he sent money to a former roommate convicted of trying to blow up a hotel in Jordan.  

Free despite efforts by prosecutors in Detroit and Chicago to indict him on charges that could have kept him in prison for years. Those indictments were rejected by the Justice Department in the name of protecting intelligence. Even two judges openly questioned al-Marabh's terror ties.  (cont.)

Is it any wonder that Tenet would resign with a boss who makes such grievous blunders?  I wouldn't want any of the actions of this inept administration to reflect on me either.

I feel ill.  Again.  Why do I even read the news? wow! editing diaries really does work!

i just saw this article saying that Kerry is considering delaying his acceptance of the nomination until after the conventions, in order to keep pace with Bush and to spend the money he's raised during the primary season.  It sounds like a good idea to me.

BOSTON (AP) - John Kerry is considering delaying his acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's July convention so that he can keep spending the millions of dollars that he raised during the primaries, The Associated Press has learned.

 If Kerry were to delay acceptance of his nomination for a month, he would even the playing field with President Bush, who is planning to accept the nomination at the Republican National Convention five weeks later. The party convention would still be held at the end of July, but Kerry would officially accept the nomination at a later date under such a plan.

 Kerry and Bush are expected to use federal funding for their general election campaign and will be limited to spending the roughly $75 million in federal funds given to each candidate once they accepts the nomination. At that point, neither candidate would be able to raise or spend private funds.

 "We are looking at this and many other options very seriously because we won't fight with one hand behind our back," Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Friday.

[Here http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/9316830p-1024 1546c.html] is an interview that is worth your time to read it

  For nearly 12 years, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey was a hard-core, some say gung-ho, Marine. For three years he trained fellow Marines in one of the most grueling indoctrination rituals in military life - Marine boot camp.

 The Iraq war changed Massey. The brutality, the sheer carnage of the U.S. invasion, touched his conscience and transformed him forever. He was honorably discharged with full severance last Dec. 31 and is now back in his hometown, Waynsville, N.C.

 When I talked with Massey last week, he expressed his remorse at the civilian loss of life in incidents in which he himself was involved.

Q: You spent 12 years in the Marines. When were you sent to Iraq?

A: I went to Kuwait around Jan. 17. I was in Iraq from the get-go. And I was involved in the initial invasion.

Q: What does the public need to know about your experiences as a Marine?

A: The cause of the Iraqi revolt against the American occupation. What they need to know is we killed a lot of innocent people. I think at first the Iraqis had the understanding that casualties are a part of war. But over the course of time, the occupation hurt the Iraqis. And I didn't see any humanitarian support.

Q: What experiences turned you against the war and made you leave the Marines?

A: I was in charge of a platoon that consists of machine gunners and missile men. Our job was to go into certain areas of the towns and secure the roadways. There was this one particular incident - and there's many more - the one that really pushed me over the edge. It involved a car with Iraqi civilians. From all the intelligence reports we were getting, the cars were loaded down with suicide bombs or material. That's the rhetoric we received from intelligence. They came upon our checkpoint. We fired some warning shots. They didn't slow down. So we lit them up.

Q: Lit up? You mean you fired machine guns?

A: Right. Every car that we lit up we were expecting ammunition to go off. But we never heard any. Well, this particular vehicle we didn't destroy completely, and one gentleman looked up at me and said: "Why did you kill my brother? We didn't do anything wrong." That hit me like a ton of bricks.

This is just the beginning of the interview, and it continues on to shed light on the daily reality our soldiers are facing.

The roots of George W. Bush's spirituality, his language of God and faith, his views on God and government, and his impact on evangelicals.

THE JESUS FACTOR

For anyone who missed it the other night, check this out.  It provides a glimpse of how religion plays a role (destroys) our policies and ultimately, all of Bush's decisions.  

I know this is disgusting and reprehensible, but i think it's important to be aware of the reality of what is happening over in Iraq.  See the images at:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/throwingstardna/

Last night, CBS' 60 Minutes Two aired allegations--supported by numerous photographs and witnesses--that document numerous cases of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners inside Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Amongst the photographs were pictures of prisoners with wires attached to their genitals, prisoners stacked in a pyramid, prisoners forced to simulate oral sex on others, and prisoners who appear to have been beaten to death.

The New York Times is now covering this story. A total of 17 soldiers, including a brigadier general, have been removed from duty as a result, and Court-Martials are in the works for at least six soldiers. At least one of those charged blames the military for staffing the prison with reservists, not providing them with procedures for running the facility, and not educating them on the proper treatment of prisoners.

More bad and potentially inflammatory news at a bad time. The pictures are already circulating out there and other articles are already in the works, so it's a safe bet that the pictures will be broadcast on Arab television very shortly--just like they were on CBS.

I can't imagine what they were thinking...

"If we can't hold ourselves up as an example of how to treat people with dignity and respect, we can't ask that other nations do that to our soldiers."
-General Mark Kimmitt

Karen Hughes isn't the only one trying to draw a connection between 9/11 and the Pro-Choice movement, Chimpy has had at it as well:

(This is from his National Sanctity of Human Life Day proclamation, January 18, 2002)

"Unborn children should be welcomed in life and protected in law. On September 11, we saw clearly that evil exists in this world, and that it does not value life. The terrible events of that fateful day have given us, as a Nation, a greater understanding about the value and wonder of life. Every innocent life taken that day was the most important person on earth to somebody; and every death extinguished a world. Now we are engaged in a fight against evil and tyranny to preserve and protect life. In so doing, we are standing again for those core principles upon which our Nation was founded."

This was over 2 years ago, but I think it is still pertinent.  September 11 has been a gift to this administration, while it was truly a tragedy for the rest of us.  They have been able to bend it around to serve many of their political motives.  I mean, engaged in a fight against evil and tyranny?  Wow.

It may seem a bit inconsequential or far removed to some, but for what it's worth, there seems to be some embarrassing connections between California's raging porn scene and some of the GOP's biggest supporters.

California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the non-use of condoms in the studios as a work-safety issue. In Washington, the Justice Department has also trained its sights on the industry. Its test case began last August, with the indictment of 30-year-old Robert Zicari and his North Hollywood production company, Extreme Associates, on  10 counts.

 Not only did he produce his  movies, he also distributed them. It is this latter aspect that may cause the Justice Department and its devoutly religious head, the Attorney-General, John Ashcroft, some heartburn.

 The Comcast cable network, a suitor of the Walt Disney company and its parent, the ABC network, offers  hard-core porn  from the Hot Network channel as part of its premium package. Comcast's CEO, Brian Roberts,  helped organise the 2000 Republican national convention in Philadelphia.

Direct TV, the largest satellite television network in the US, also offers the Hot Network.  Direct TV is owned by Rupert Murdoch.

 The hotel rooms across America  that offer adult films  include  those of the Marriott chain, owned and run by prominent members of the Mormon Church.

Go see for yourself!!

artios.blogspot.com

oh wait...  ARtios....  mmmm...  those wacky wingnutz with ttheir practical jokes...  oh well, i'm sure the advertisers don't mind having free spots...

How about everyone donates to Kerry from the spoof ARtios site?  Why not flip the joke around and use it to further our aims?  

I picked this off of Billmon, who picked it off of buzzflash who picked it up off of Cursor...

Why Three Out of Four Experts
Predict a Terrorist Attack by November  

In an article entitled, "When the War Hits Home: U.S. Plans for Martial Law, Tele-Governance and the Suspension of Elections," Madsen and Stanton delved into the more frightening aspects of what might be in store. "One incident, one aircraft hijacked, a 'dirty nuke' set off in a small town, may well prompt the Bush regime, let's say during the election campaign of 2003-2004, to suspend national elections for a year while his government ensures stability," they wrote. "Many closed door meetings have been held on these subjects and the notices for these meetings have been closely monitored by the definitive www.cryptome.org."

To make matters worse, if martial law is imposed, Air Force General Ralph E. Eberhart will be able to blast through Posse Comitatus and deploy troops to America's streets. [Billmon's note: we got to know a little bit about Gen. Eberhart here.]

Gen. Eberhart, you might recall, is the former Commander of NORAD, which was in charge of protecting America's skies on Sept. 11. But instead of being scrutinized for NORAD's massive failures, he was promoted and now heads the Pentagon's Northern Command. And, as military analyst William M. Arkin explained, "It is only in the case of 'extraordinary' domestic operations that would enable Gen. Eberhart to bring in "intelligence collectors, special operators and even full combat troops" to bear. What kind of situation would have to occur to grant Eberhart "the far-reaching authority that goes with 'extraordinary operations'"? Nothing. He already has that authority. [Los Angeles Times]

Which brings us to the inevitable (and most important) question. How primed is the American public to accept suspended elections, martial law, or whatever else the White House decides to "market"?

I especially liked this part:

Nearly two years ago, Madsen and Stanton warned that following a major terrorist attack, seditious web sites would be blocked.

Canada still grants political asylum, doesn't it?

-Billmon
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